Minoan Religion: New Material and Interpretations

Description

This volume sheds new light on the religion of Minoan Crete through the presentation 13 articles by specialists in this field. The contributions provide important new information on ritual places and archaeological contexts, votive offerings and iconographic depictions of rituals and deities, as well as reconstructions of religious ceremonies, the meaning of symbols, and reflections of the spirituality of Minoan religion. Additionally, contributions deal with the nature of the deities, the debate on monotheism versus polytheism, and the interrelation of religion and political power. Although the focus of this volume is on Neopalatial Crete, the collection includes also material from other periods and Aegean regions under Minoan influence. Through a dialogue with past interpretations and by using manifold methods and approaches, this volume reflects the progress made in the field of Minoan religion. This volume is a collection of 13 specialist articles that advance understanding of Minoan religion by examining rituals, deities, symbols, and their social and political contexts across Neopalatial Crete and related regions using diverse modern approaches.

Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. From Evans to Heavens: New Light on Minoan Religion from Knossos and Its Area; 3. Aspects of Ritual at the Juktas Peak Sanctuary and Knossian Palatial Involvement; 4. Cult Idols in Minoan Neopalatial Settlements 5. The Lady with the Ivory Pyxis at Mochlos; 6. Worship of Eileithyia in Bronze Age Crete; 7. A Tale of Two Cities? Images, Space, and Religion at Neopalatial and Final Palatial Hagia Triada; 8. Rethinking the Priest King Stucco Relief from Knossos, Minoan Kingship, and Gods; 9. Axes and Rosettes: The Gold Bracelet from Shaft Grave IV at Mycenae; 10. Divine Epiphany Scenes in Minoan Clay Larnax Iconography; 11. Light and Movement in Minoan Religion; 12.The Place of Alterity in Neopalatial Iconography; 13. Polytheism vs. Monotheism: A False Dichotomy? The Case for Henotheism; 14. Why Are We Unable to Identify Individual Minoan Deities? The Comparative Model of a Religious State Policy in Neopalatial Crete.

Hardback: 250 pp., 133 images in the text.
(Prehistory Monographs 76, INSTAP Academic Press, 2026)

ISBN 978-1-931534-45-1